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Peeling a Peeler
Sea Fishing Article
Article: Frazer Mellis
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Shore Crabs are around the whole year, and are generally classed as a pest because of their bait robbing behavior. As winter turns to spring and the water temperatures start to increase, the shore crabs will start to peel or pop. When the crabs start the peeling process then they are probably the most productive and favored bait by sea anglers.
Many crabs peel 3 times per year usually in their juvenile stages of life. Peeling is when a crab sheds its current shell to allow it to grow. Crabs do this by drinking and storing large amounts of sea water, which in turn swells the inner body, forcing the shell to crack, revealing a new soft one underneath. They do this under the protection of weed or a safe hiding place as this is when the crab is at its most vulnerable to predators.
Peeler crabs are usually collected on the foreshore when the tide is out. They can be found under rocks, around groynes, walls and pier stanchions.
There are various ways of telling if a crab is a peeler. First is if it's losing its shell, and is dull in colouration and fragile, which is prone to cracking. Another way is to rub its back with a small amount of pressure to see if the shell begins to crack. If the shell hasn't yet popped, then you can remove the last segment of the 2nd to last leg. If a fully formed leg segment is left behind, then it's a peeler crab. If all you get is a white strand of slime then the crab is not peeling and put back.
To keep your peeler crabs in tip top condition ready for use as bait. Peeler crabs should be kept refrigerated and checked daily. Keep the peeler crabs in a container like ice cream container, keep them in a fridge at all times and cover them in seaweed soaked in fresh sea water, this should be changed 3 times a week. Another method is to use shredded newspaper placed in a safe tub and spray them daily with fresh sea water just to keep them damp.
Presentation of the peeler crab is as important as collecting and keeping them, they can be used as bait on their own or as a tip off with rag or lug, larger peeler crabs can be cut in half and used on smaller hooks.
To prepare a peeler crab, you first remove the legs and hard shell parts. Do this buy twisting the legs off at the leg joint, twist one way, and then the other way pull with care, and try not to wrench the joint or you will tear the body flesh.
One the underside of the main body using your fingernail, lift the top edge of the tail plate. Now locate the top of the central body plate it's the V shape that intersects with the mouth shields gently pull it up, and then work down lifting the whole plate away.
The side cheek plates are the next to be removed and are often the easiest part to do so on the whole crab. On to the mouth shields twist and gently pull, don't worry if it all doesn't come off or you end up pulling a bit of the meat away.
Last bit! Flip the crab over so that the top and back face you gently insert your finger or thumb nail under the back lip of the top (Main) shell and apply a gentle amount of pressure to the flesh below using your other hand and lift the shell, pivoting at the front edge with the eyes.
If you are going to freeze down the crab you will need to remove the lungs or dead man's fingers. They are the brown/pinky feather bits on the side of the crab.
And that's it you have juicy crab bait that can be almost cut in half and turned upright and bound on with bait elastic. Remember Peeler crab can be used to tip off rag, lug and other baits.
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